Revving up a Buff-tailed Bumblebee

Late this afternoon, the temperature was dropping and the washing clearly wasn't going to dry any more. So I went out, started gathering getting stuff off the lines and ... spotted a little black body in the grass.  I looked closer and saw that it was a Buff-tailed Bumblebee. I feared that (1) it had died and (2) it was 'our' big queen who has been visiting the garden since Christmas Day.

Buff-tailed Bumblebee Queen - 25 Dec 2019

As I carefully parted the grass to take a closer look, I realised that this Queen was smaller and a leg raised to warn off the annoying human told me that she was very much alive.

A different Buff-tailed Bumblebee Queen - 01 Feb 2020

I didn't like the idea of leaving her in the clammy grass where she could be trodden on so I picked a hellebore flower and scooped her up. As I raised her into the the warmer air, her wings started quivering.

Bumblebee after transfer to a warmer spot - 1 Feb 2020.

I carried her and her flower to a warmer, safer spot and put them down. She started feeding and I left them to it.  I was intrigued by the way in which she vibrated her wings and did a little Googling. According to a clip from the BBC's life in the Undergrowth, it is normal for bumblebees to cool right down in the night but, when they need to warm up, they can vibrate their wings until they are warm enough to fly.